Internet and email use on Christmas Day and Boxing Day hit record levels in the UK this year, according to a report today.

The equivalent of 3 million emails a second were being sent at peak times on December 25, according to an internet monitor.

The London Internet Exchange said internet traffic was substantially higher than on Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2003 – when the previous highest levels were recorded.

“It is impossible to tell from the traffic figures what exactly people were doing on the internet,” said a spokeswoman for the exchange.

“However, Christmas gifts and greetings, routine business use of the internet which continues even through the holidays, and the increasing internationalisation of the medium all contributed to the rise in traffic.”